Mass Wedding of Straight and Gay Couples Steals Show at Grammy Awards

By

Charles Passy

Jan 27, 2014 12:35 am ET

The National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences may have snubbed “Same Love” for Grammy Best Song honors, but it still let the song steal the show.

Near the end of the three hour-plus Grammy telecast, rapper Macklemore and Ryan Lewis led a bravura performance of the number that champions the rights for same-sex couples to marry. To top it off, Madonna, long an icon of the gay community, joined the occasion, singing her hit “Open Your Heart.”

But the real topper? As part of the performance, 33 couples – some gay, some straight – joined their hands in marriage at that very moment, with Queen Latifah handling the officiating. Among those who were wed: Ryan Lewis’ sister, Laura, who exchanged vows with her boyfriend.